Since 2016, TMCD has organised the China-UK Innovation & Development Forum, a platform that brings together academics, policymakers and industrialists from the UK and China, to discuss and share their ideas about how STI research and policy can be developed to meet the changing needs of society. It encourages co-operation in the field of science and technology innovation between China and UK, and is an important window to help people understand the dynamics of Sino-UK policies. It has received significant interest   from experts, scholars, governments, and companies in China and Britain, and sparked fruitful discussions and collaborations.

Listen to Prof Fu's speech

The 6th Sino-UK Innovation and Development Forum was held virtually on 3rd-4th November 2021. The theme this year was “Green innovation and inclusive development” and focused on green innovation, digital innovation, inclusive development, and common prosperity. The forum included scholars and experts from prestigious British and Chinese Universities, government bodies, business and industry representatives.

The Forum was hosted by the Technology and Management Centre for Development (TMCD) of the University of Oxford, the Surrey Centre for Innovation and Commercialisation (SCIC) of the University of Surrey and Sino-UK Innovation Policy and Management Research Network (IPRN). It was co-hosted by the China Britain Business Council (CBBC), the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Technology for Development (CASTED) of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institutes of Science and Development (CASISD) and the HSBC Financial Research Institute at Peking University (HFRI). This years’ e forum was also supported by Tencent.

Professor Xiaolan Fu, the Director of TMCD, welcomed participants and emphasised the importance of these forums. They have   helped enterprises in China and the UK to address the global challenges facing the world through enhanced technological innovation and policy synergy. 

The theme for Day One was “Green Technology and Sustainable Development” and focussed on the “Management Capabilities & Green Innovation”, and the “Green Economy”. 

Day Two focused on “Digital Innovation and Inclusive Development” and “Technologies and Finance”. It included a presentation about the “Inclusive Digital Model (IDMODEL)” project currently being undertaken by the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham. The rest of the session was split into two themes “Digital Innovation and Inclusive Development” and “Innovation and Common Prosperity”. This was followed by the launch of the “Digital Innovation Journal”.

Sir James McDonald, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, highlighted the critical role of engineering, technology and innovation in global green development. He called for attention to be given to the economic and social challenges posed by climate change. Yaping Zhang, Vice-President of CAS noted that Chinese and UK research institutions had signed a series of co-operation agreements in the areas of automotive and semiconductors.

He recommended that both countries deepen their technical co-operation and interdisciplinary research, and establish an international think tank. David Sampson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, of the University of Surrey, stressed the importance of Sino-UK collaboration in business and higher education, noting that the University of Surrey was working to provide support for technology development and innovation collaboration at the educational level, leveraging its strengths in research. Andrew Seaton, CEO of the CBBC, said that, despite geo-political tensions, the collaborative innovation in academia and businesses between China and UK should continue. They already collaborate on renewable energy, extreme weather forecasting, and battery storage technology, and such cutting-edge technologies are critical in combating global climate change, and pandemics.